The present disclosure relates to recipient verification bands and related systems, for example patient identification systems. More particularly, it relates to wearable verification bands for use in various environments, such as caregiver environments. Said verification bands provide users with various labels and labeling methods, which can be linked to the wearer of the band, and include identification information formatted to facilitate confirmation that desired protocols are followed during use. The systems described in the present disclosure are amenable for various end applications and methods for making the same.
The need to assign a unique code or other identifier to a person or thing (collectively referred to as a “recipient”) and to employ the identifier in correlating articles or activities to the recipient arises in a number of contexts. For example, positive patient identification is a critical step in providing medical treatment to patients in a caregiver environment (e.g., hospital). Commonly, an identification band (e.g., a flexible plastic wristband or ankle band) is issued to the patient at the time of admission to the caregiver institution, and is worn by the patient at all times (sometimes referred to as an “admission band”). The issued identification/admission band typically displays patient-related information (e.g., printed or labeled), such as name, date of birth, etc.
In some instances, a unique patient identifier or other code is assigned to the patient and is displayed on the admission band, including, for example, a bar code or numeric/alphanumeric code. The patient identifier can alternatively be supplied on a separate band (apart from the admission band), and is used to cross-reference other caregiver-related items with the patient via, for example, an electronic data base. The unique patient identifier provides an independent, physical link between the patient and associated patient articles or caregiver activities when applied to such articles. For example, paperwork or other caregiver documents/medical charts relating to the patient may include the patient identifier. In addition, the patient identifier can be applied to specimen samples (e.g., test tubes for blood specimens) taken from the patient, or applied to therapeutic material(s) to be given to the patient. The patient identifier ensures that said items are accurately associated with the correct patient at all stages of the patient's visit with the caregiver institution. Similar recipient verification needs apart from hospital admission may be found in multiple other situations including blood transfusion, pharmaceutical administration, trauma centers, etc. In these and other environments, a lack of immediate patient identification and verification can pose significant safety risks.
To facilitate accurate transposition of the patient identifier (and possibly other patient-related information) to items apart from the band(s) worn by the patient, it is known to provide one or more labels or tags that display the same patient identifier. Alternatively, it is also known to permit a caregiver to enter the patient identifier onto the label/tag. This manual process of transferring the patient identifier from the patient to his specimens, test requests, etc. and then back to the patient is prone to error. First, if the unique patient identifier or patient information must be transcribed by hand, the potential for human error will arise. Second, the patient identifier and/or patient information must be transferred to the correct specimen/item in question. In order to avoid transcription errors, it is desirable to use these patient identification labels in combination with the unique patient identifier. Hospital admission bands are commonly supplied with a plurality of patient identifying labels. In addition, laboratory test requests often can generate multiple patient identifying labels. In all these scenarios, the companion labels with the matching patient identifier information are separate from the patient identifier attached directly to the patient. This lack of direct physical connection can lead to confusion, lost labels, and other problems.
While systems exist that address several of the problems raised above, current systems also give rise to other concerns. For example, with patient identification bands and labels incorporating a barcode-type patient identifier, caregivers are often required to retrieve or scan information in a specified fashion. More particularly, many caregiver facility protocols dictate that when electronically associating a particular patient with a particular item, activity, etc., the caregiver must scan the patient identifier barcode displayed on the band worn by the patient. While the caregiver may subsequently scan the patient identifier barcode displayed on one of the labels as part of the same activity, the barcode on the worn band must be scanned as part of the matching process. This protocol addresses a concern that a caregiver might scan only a label barcode under the assumption that this label “belongs” to the intended patient, when in fact the scanned label is associated with a different patient. While caregivers may have easier access to removed labels and thus can more quickly complete the particular activity by scanning the label barcode instead of the barcode on the worn band, scanning only the barcode on the worn band ensures that the correct barcode information for the intended patient has been received. Unfortunately, many available recipient verification systems do not provide a mechanism to confirm that this protocol has been followed. A need exists for an improved recipient verification system that addresses the above challenges.